1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a door plate assembly, more particularly to a door plate assembly with a solar-powered lighting unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most residential houses in Europe and America have a front yard. In order to clearly indicate the house number, a door plate assembly is generally provided on the front yard of the house for mounting a door plate. A mail box may be integrated with the door plate assembly. It is noted that the door plate assembly is clearly visible only in day time. While a device for illuminating the door plate during night time can be achieved by providing a lighting unit that operates on commercial power sources, the lighting unit as such needs to be electrically connected to an electric power source in the house through a conductive line, which is susceptible to damage after a long period of exposure. The device also needs to be manually switched on during night time and switched off during day time.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a door plate assembly with a solar-powered lighting unit so as to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the present invention, a door plate assembly comprises:
an upright support unit having a lower end adapted to be disposed on a ground surface;
a door plate mounted on the upright support unit;
a lighting unit mounted on the upright support unit and operable so as to generate a light output for illuminating the door plate; and
a power source mounted on the upright support unit, the power source including a solar panel that is adapted to convert solar energy to electrical energy, a battery unit that is coupled electrically to and that is charged by the electrical energy generated by the solar panel, and a lighting controller connected electrically to the battery unit and the lighting unit, the lighting controller controlling activation of the lighting unit.